Hitchhiking in Myanmar – Everything You Need to Know!

Jonas and I went hitchhiking in Myanmar between the 3rd and the 31st of January 2020. These tips are based on our experiences and the laws of Myanmar during that timeframe. Feel welcome to add your own hitchhiking in Myanmar experiences + adventures in the comments! Contents1 Basic Tips2 Is Hitchhiking in Myanmar Legal or Illegal?3 Do People in Myanmar Know What Hitchhiking Is?4 Where to Stand When Hitchhiking in Myanmar?5 Why Do They Drive on the Right?6 I Keep Hearing About This Yangon-Mandalay Expressway. Why?7 How to Make Hitchhiking Signs in Myanma Script?8 What to Wear When Hitchhiking inContinue reading

Myeik→ Bokpyin→ Kawthaung: Hitchhiking Two Consecutive Days in Myanmar

Events described in this post reflect those that happened on Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th of January, 2020. Jonas and I hitchhiked for two consecutive days from Myeik to Kawthaung with a one-night stopover in Bokpyin, Myanmar. This road is fairly new and quite adventurous. Before they built it, the only way to get from Myeik to Kawthaung was by ferry. Preparing to Hitchhike the Last Stretch of the AH-112 We had spent a lovely few days at the upscale Regent Hotel in Myanmar. One of the reasons to pick a fancier hotel was that we knew theContinue reading

Dawei to Myeik by Thumb – Hitchhiking Myanmar’s National Highway 8

Events narrated in this article happened on Friday the 24th of January, 2020. Jonas and I hitchhiked from Dawei to Myeik in the Thanintharyi Region of Myanmar. Finding a Tollgate During our three prior hitchhiking experiences in Myanmar, we figured that nothing beats a toll booth. Unfortunately, neither OSM nor Google Maps had a toll booth on the road south of Dawei in direction of Myeik (မြိတ်). I’d found a report online about Myanmar’s infrastructure which said there are nearly 400 tollgates in Myanmar. Surely, there must be a tollgate south of Dawei. So I used the good old techniqueContinue reading

The Way to Dawei: Hitchhiking from Mawlamyine

Events in this story happened on Tuesday the 21st of January, 2020. Jonas and I hitchhiked from Mawlamyine to Dawei in Myanmar.  Arranging the Tuk-Tuk As we’re slowly running out of visa days in Myanmar, we only stayed two nights in Mawlamyine. The day before departure, we asked the staff at Thanlwin Seesar Hotel to arrange a tuk-tuk for us to the toll gate. As the previous hitchhiking days had taught us, toll gates are simply the best places to stand to hitchhike from in Myanmar. We showed them the location of the Phar Auk Toll Gate on the mapsContinue reading

Hitchhiking from Nyaung-U (Old Bagan) to Naypyitaw

This happened on the 10th of January, 2020. Jonas and I hitchhiked from Nyaung-U – the town near the famous ruins of Old Bagan – to Myanmar’s new capital city Naypyitaw. This was our first attempt at hitchhiking in Myanmar. We covered 260 kilometers by hitchhiking. Here you can find a price comparison of our hitchhiking journey versus taking the bus and here’s the map of our route and points of interest. Preparations to Hitchhike in Myanmar I’d been preparing for hitchhiking in Myanmar for literal weeks. Back when Jonas and I were in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I made the first hitchhiking signContinue reading

144 Hours in Shanghai: My 5-Day China Itinerary

This is about October/November 2019 when I visited Shanghai for a five-day stopover. This happened from Thursday the 31st of October till Tuesday the 5th of November, 2019. That’s when we flew on to Chiang Mai, Thailand. We traveled to China visa-free with the 144-hour on arrival visa. Though it’s our personal itinerary, this article also contains a wealth of information on things to do and see in Shanghai on your 144-hour visa. Here you can find a handy map of our itinerary and the sights. Here’s a list of must-download apps for your trip to Shanghai or elsewhere in China.Continue reading

Hitchhiking the Donghai Bridge from Zhejiang to Shanghai

These events happened on Sunday the 3rd of November, 2019. We’d taken the bus from Dishui Lake (Dīshuǐ hú: 滴水湖) in Shanghai Municipality (Shànghǎi shì: 上海市) to Yangshan Island  (Yáng shān: 洋山) in Zhejiang province (Zhèjiāng shěng: 浙江省) via the Donghai Bridge (Dōnghǎi Dàqiáo: 東海大橋). After sightseeing at one of the scenic areas, we wanted to hitchhike back the same way to Shanghai. Click here to read about our full 144-hour Shanghai itinerary. Here are all the apps you need before you travel to China. Contemplating Hitchhiking in Yangshan We’d spent a little over an hour hiking around the beautiful rocky area at Xiaoyang Mountain (Xiǎo yángContinue reading

Land Transportation in Cabo Verde: A How-To Guide

This article is about land transportation in Cabo Verde as opposed to flights and ferries. I mostly discuss taxis and the little minivans/pickup trucks, collectively known as ‘aluguers’. You can also rent vehicles like scooters/quads/4WD cars on some of the islands. Since this is a hitchhiking blog, I also included some information on hitchhiking. I’m still planning more dedicated articles on hitchhiking in Cabo Verde. This is all the information I’ve gathered on land transportation in Cabo Verde over 88 days and by visiting 7 out of 9 islands. Contents1 The Reality On The Ground2 Public Transit2.1 Taxi Pricing2.2 AluguerContinue reading

Cabo Verde’s Three Defunct Airports

I love abandoned places. I severely dislike flying . But visiting a defunct airport? I’m in! Before even arriving in Cabo Verde, I had shortlisted some of the now-defunct airports on my to-visit list. Near the end of my trip, I’ve managed to visit all of them, in the following order: Santo Antão, Fogo, Brava. Here’s what to expect when you go visit them yourself on a trip to Cabo Verde Contents1 Agostinho Neto Airport, Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão1.1 Update: The New Airport2 Mosteiros, Fogo3 Esperadinha, Fajã d’Água, Brava4 Bonus: Francisco Mendes International Airport, Praia, Santiago5 Conclusion: Defunct AirportsContinue reading